In a recent turn of events, Mike Waltz finds himself at the center of renewed scrutiny following the emergence of a photograph revealing his use of a modified messaging application, TM SGNL, which raises significant security concerns. This development comes on the heels of President Donald Trump’s decision to remove Waltz from his role as national security advisor and nominate him for the position of UN ambassador.
Security Concerns Arise
The photograph, captured by Reuters on April 30, 2025, during a White House cabinet meeting, displayed Waltz’s phone screen featuring conversations with prominent officials such as JD Vance, Marco Rubio, Tulsi Gabbard, and Steve Witkoff. These individuals play pivotal roles in overseeing foreign relations and national security, particularly in negotiations involving the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.
TM SGNL, developed by TeleMessage, is a variant of the widely-used Signal messaging app, known for its robust encryption. However, this modified version introduces an archiving feature that, while beneficial for compliance with presidential record-keeping mandates, poses a risk to the end-to-end encryption that is the hallmark of standard Signal. According to an analysis by 404 Media, this means that messages could potentially be retrieved from storage, undermining the very security that users rely upon.
The photographs revealed snippets of conversations, including a message to Rubio stating, “there is time,” and another from Vance indicating, “I have confirmation from my counterpart it’s turned off. He is going to be here in …”. Additionally, the screen showcased a call to Gabbard and a scheduled 8 a.m. “PDB” meeting.
In light of these developments, President Trump has appointed Waltz as the new UN ambassador, while Rubio steps in as the interim national security advisor. The White House has responded to the controversy by asserting that “Signal is an approved app for government use and is loaded on government phones,” emphasizing the administration’s commitment to maintaining secure communication channels.
